*All standards, goals, and objectives are carefully aligned with the Maryland standards and goals provided at www.mdk12.org
NCTE Standards: 1.) Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
9.) Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
7.) Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
Unit Goals:
1.) (Aligned with NCTE Standard 1) Given a variety of print and nonprint materials in the perspective of individuals of various cultures, students will be able to describe the importance of cultural diversity in our community, in order to promote discrimination awareness with acceptance and tolerance. Rationale: Before students are able to promote acceptance and tolerance of cultural diversity, they must first understand the importance of diversity in our community. This goal outlines students’ ability to understand the activities, beliefs, lifestyles, etc. of different cultures around the world. Students will be given the opportunity to see individual cultures through their own perspectives in text, videos, sound clips, and class visitations. Most importantly, students will read about the forms of discrimination occurring in these cultures. When given this knowledge, students will have the understanding to describe the importance of cultural diversity in our neighborhoods, schools, and economy to promote acceptance.
2.) (Aligned with NCTE Standard 9) Students will be able to collaboratively identify and define various types of discrimination through a community involvement activity, in order to raise cultural and discrimination awareness. Rationale: This unit goal clearly outlines students’ overall learning of social injustice and discrimination in their authentic environments at school and at home. At the conclusion of this lesson, students will have created a poster to be displayed in the school and community that promotes awareness of discrimination. This goal assists students in becoming active members of their community. The goal captures students’ understanding in identifying and defining the target group of those being discriminated against and possible reasons for its occurrence. Most importantly, students will have the knowledge to implement strategies that will help to alleviate and resolve discrimination to promote cultural tolerance and acceptance.
3.) (Aligned with NCTE Standard 7) Students will be able to independently research and formally present information about a specific culture and the discriminations that occur within it, in order to implement strategies to resolve social injustice in their school and home community. Rationale: In a small group, students will be assigned to extensively research an individual culture to share with the class. Each group will be assigned a different culture. At the conclusion of the unit’s presentations, students have will have a better knowledge of several different cultural groups in our community. Besides researching each culture’s beliefs and customs, students will also find recent articles portraying discrimination or social injustice against that group. After presenting this information to the class as a group, students will have a better understanding of the individual culture and the discrimination that often occurs in these groups, while also developing good speaking/presenting skills.
Lesson Objectives:
Aligned with Unit Goal 1: 1.) Given The Scarlet Letter and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, students will be able to complete a Venn diagram to compare/contrast the various forms of discrimination presented in both texts.
a. Assessment: “Venn Diagram.” This formal assessment as a Venn diagram will be used for students to organize the similarities and differences of discrimination in the novels. Students will complete them as a group and each group will share their findings with the class. Group work will be collected to measure students’ ability to work in their collaborative settings.
2.) Given The Scarlet Letter and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and various supplemental texts, students will be able to compare/contrast the various forms of discrimination in all the readings.
a. Assessment: “Discrimination Chart.” A columned chart will be used as a formal assessment to measure student’s ability to differentiate the various types of discrimination they will read and discuss with the class. Students must identify how these discriminations are different across texts. Because each student group is reading different material from different cultures, students will need to pay careful attention to summarize each reading and its source of discrimination.
3.) Given historical materials in rotation stations, students will be able to describe the relationships between discrimination in the past to its presence in our unit texts, as reflected on an exit ticket.
a. Assessment: “Exit Ticket.” I will use an exit ticket as a formal assessment to measure students’ ability to make connections between historical events with current issues in our society. Students will be able to briefly explain this connection in their own words before exiting class for the day. To go along with an objective in Unit Goal 3, students will also find a current event highlighting discrimination. Aligned with Unit Goal 2: 1.) Students will be able to reflect on the various types of discrimination and their own personal experiences with them in the community during a free writing exercise in order to raise discrimination awareness.
a. Assessment: “Free Writing Exercise.” This free writing exercise will be used for students to start developing successful writing skills before writing their final paper in the unit. The free write gives students the opportunity to develop their thoughts and feelings about the unit topic with little restrictions on their format and structure. Therefore, this assessment is obviously a formal assessment to assist students in their overall comprehension of the material.
2.) Students will be able to identify the various types of discrimination in several materials in order to create a “discrimination awareness” poster to raise awareness of discrimination in the school.
a. Assessment: “Discrimination Awareness Poster.” This assessment will be a summative assessment as students will slowly develop the necessary skills needed to understand why we need awareness and what could be done/said to promote awareness. Students will be prompted about this assignment from the beginning of the unit. As the unit progresses, students will have accumulated enough knowledge about discrimination to develop a successful poster.
3.) Students will be able to discuss the cause and effect of discrimination in order to promote discrimination awareness
a. Assessment:” Cause/Effect Chart.” Students will complete this formal assessment as a classwork grade. The cause/effect chart simply helps students to organize their thoughts in a structured format to make the cause and effect connection. This assignment will begin as a class discussion which will lead into the chart for assessing individual progress and understanding. This assignment is obviously used at the beginning of the unit in relationship to the text. Aligned with Unit Goal 3: 1.) Students will be able to define the characteristics of culture in order to label specific cultures they’ve seen in the community.
a. Assessment: “I am poem.” To reinforce the material in today’s lesson, students reflect on their individuality and culture to create an “I am poem.” Students will highlight areas of interest, heritage, location, family, likes/dislikes, etc. The information will be compiled into a poem and collected as a formal assessment at the beginning of the next day of class. This is also an introductory activity in the beginning of the unit that is needed to understand the topic.
2.) In small groups, students will be able to research an assigned culture to determine possible causes of discrimination to develop solutions.
a. Assessment: “Progress Paper.”At the end of each research session in the computer lab, students will turn in their progress on their culture research. This progress will be collected to determine their ability to work collaboratively and stay on task. Collecting these papers is a formal assessment. However, it can also be viewed as a summative assessment because these short assessments are used to guide students to the assessment of their overall presentation of research material. It also keeps them on pace with their work to develop a stronger presentation over time.
3.) In small groups, students will be able to practice presentation skills by presenting their assigned cultural group in order to identify discriminations and their solutions.
a. Assessment: “Presentation.” I will be creating a presentation rubric to comparatively measure students’ ability to properly present their research findings to the class. We will have already reviewed key presentation skills before their presentation date. The presentations need to embody professionalism in appearance and content. This formal assessment will also measure collaborative skills.
4.) Students will be able to generalize the various forms of discrimination presented in their assigned and supplemental readings, in order to brainstorm strategies and activities to prevent discrimination for their persuasive paper.
a. Assessment: “Persuasive Paper/Letter.” As a summative assessment at the end of the unit, students will independently write a persuasive paper/letter to a community organization such as their local library, local ARC chapter, etc. to persuade them to hang their posters in their organization building. This paper will have students summarizing the importance of cultural diversity and discrimination awareness. It can serve as a community involvement activity. Criteria of Textual features: The following features are subliminally mentioned in many objectives and standards which will be used to enhance each lesson. -Presentation/Speaking skills-Students will learn and develop appropriate presenting and speaking skills for their group project. Guidelines will also be listed on their rubric. -Grading Rubrics on all assignments-For all assignments, students will be given a grading rubric so they know their expectations on each assignment. Directions for assignments will also be given in several formats. -Adaptations/Modifications-For students with disabilities, the course material will be adapted to welcome all learning needs and abilities. Activities will be accommodating by providing multiple means of expression. -Modeling- Modeling assignments and/or providing examples for expected student work will be used for every assignment.
-Reading Comprehension-Students will develop skills to assist them in comprehending reading material on a deeper level for themes, symbols, etc.
-Generalization of material-Students will actively transfer their knowledge into the authentic setting.
-Discussion techniques-Students will practice and develop successful skills for discussion such as eye contact, taking turns, etc.
-Scholarly research skills-Students will learn how to find and cite appropriate and scholarly sources for their articles. Personal experiences are also welcomed. -Writing skills and essay development-For their paper, students will learn and develop writing skills, such as persuasive techniques in their summative assessment. -Collaborative Skills-Students will develop skills to work cooperatively in groups such as taking turns, staying on task, contribution, etc. Scoring Tools: -Every assignment will have a specific grading rubric which will give students an idea of their expectations and goals which need to be accomplished. Grades will be given based on student performance, completion of task, grammar/spelling, and professionalism. Several assignments and activities will be based on cooperative work. Therefore, students will be assigned an individual and group grade for their performance. Appropriate skills will be aspects of the hidden curriculum embedded in each lesson and will also appear on the rubric to serve as a checklist for students.
Rubrics for the First 10 Lessons Lesson Plan 1 Rubric: Activity 1: Free Write
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Tie definition of discrimination into personal experiences.
Literally includes the definition into personal experiences with clear understanding of discrimination.
Includes the definition with personal experience that vaguely connects to the definition.
Includes the definition of discrimination but no personal experiences.
Includes personal experiences but no definition of discrimination.
Doesn’t use the definition or personal experiences.
One example of discrimination.
Includes an example of discrimination that clearly connects to the material. Student described its connection.
Includes an example of discrimination that arguably connects to the material. Student described its connection.
Includes an example of discrimination but no connection description.
An example is included that barely connects to the material.
No example included.
Include Feelings/reactions of the experience.
Clearly describes their feelings/ reactions in the situation with a clear connection to the material.
Included feelings/reactions with a vague connection to the material.
Included a reaction with no connection or description.
Included a reaction or feeling to an irrelevant experience.
No Feelings or reactions included.
*Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling are not counted in this activity.
Activity 2: Exit Ticket
Answer the Following Questions:
ü (2 points)
ü - (1 point)
X (0 points)
1.) In your own words, what does the word “discrimination” mean to you?
Answers the question.
Partially answers the question.
Doesn’t answer the question.
2.) What do you think are some reasons about how and why discrimination occurs?
Answers the question.
Partially answers the question.
Doesn’t answer the question.
3.) What do you think could be done to prevent discrimination (of any population)?
Answers the question.
Partially answers the question.
Doesn’t answer the question.
*The exit ticket is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E.
Lesson Plan 2 Rubric: Activity 1: I Am Poem
Includes the Following:
ü (2 points)
ü - (1 point)
X (0 points)
Includes Background Information about family or self.
Included or Mentioned
Partially Included or Mentioned
Doesn’t answer the question.
Describes an Individual Culture.
Included or Mentioned
Partially Included or Mentioned
Doesn’t answer the question.
Creatively Written
Included or Mentioned
Partially Included or Mentioned
Doesn’t answer the question.
Grammatically Correct with Proper Spelling
Included or Mentioned
Partially Included or Mentioned
Doesn’t answer the question.
*The I Am Poem is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E. Activity 2: KWL Chart
Must Include the Following:
ü 2 points
ü - 1 point
X 0
points
What I already know (about the culture).
Included or Mentioned
Tried to include or mention.
Refused to complete the assignment
Want I want to know (about the culture).
Included or Mentioned
Tried to include or mention
Doesn’t answer the question.
*The KWL Chart is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E.
Lesson Plan 3 Rubric: Activity 1: Arthur Illustration
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Portrays Arthur’s individual identity
Correctly Portrays his individual identity with description.
Vague portrayal of his individual identity or description.
Weak portrayal of his individual identity or description.
Give either a portrayal or description, not both.
Doesn’t portray individual identity and no description included.
Incorporates others’ perceptions of Arthur
Correctly includes others perceptions in the drawing and description.
Vague perceptions of others perceptions in the drawing or description.
Weak portrayal of others perceptions in illustration or description.
Gives others portrayal or description, not both.
Doesn’t portray others perceptions in the illustration or description.
Clearly uses textual support
Uses 5 appropriate textual supports.
Uses no more than 3 textual supports.
Uses 2 textual supports.
Uses 1 textual support.
No support from text.
*Individual artistic abilities are taken into account. Activity 2: Progress Sheet
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Lists internet searches, articles, library books, and ideas
Contains at least 5 credible sources.
Contains 4 credible sources.
Contains 3 credible sources.
Contains sources that aren’t credible.
None Listed.
Reflects solid collaboration, time management, and organization
Students’ work reflects their ability to utilize their time and work collaboratively.
Students’ work is organized but reflects difficulty collaborating with partners.
Students’ work is organized but reflects difficulty collaborating with partners and managing time,.
Students have very little organizational skills and haven’t utilized their time effectively.
No work has been completed.
Lesson Plan 4 Rubric: Activity 1: Presentation
Must Include the Following:
ü 10 points
ü - 5 points
X 0 points
Briefly explain the fastrack (major events) history of your culture?
Fully included with descriptions
Partially Mentioned but not supported with detail
Not included
Where is your culture currently located in the world?
Fully included with descriptions
Partially Mentioned but not supported with detail
Not included
Name one recognized hero, leader, or famous individual from your culture.
Fully included with descriptions
Partially Mentioned but not supported with detail
Not included
List three interesting facts about you culture?
Fully included with descriptions
Partially Mentioned but not supported with detail
Not included
Provide four images that portray your culture (pictures of people, places, tools, art, etc.)
Fully included with descriptions
Partially Mentioned but not supported with detail
Not included
Provide one song of any genre from your culture?
Fully included with descriptions
Partially Mentioned but not supported with detail
Not included
How is your culture being discriminated against or how has your culture been discriminated against in the past?
*The Presentation is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E. Activity 2: Hester Illustration
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Portrays Hester’s individual identity
Correctly Portrays her individual identity with description.
Vague portrayal of her individual identity or description.
Weak portrayal of individual identity or description.
Give either a portrayal or description, not both.
Doesn’t portray individual identity and no description included.
Incorporates others’ perceptions of Hester
Correctly includes others perceptions in the drawing and description.
Vague perceptions of others perceptions in the drawing or description.
Weak portrayal of others perceptions in illustration or description.
Gives others portrayal or description, not both.
Doesn’t portray others perceptions in the illustration or description.
Clearly uses textual support
Uses 5 appropriate textual supports.
Uses no more than 3 textual supports.
Uses 2 textual supports.
Uses 1 textual support.
No support from text.
*Individual artistic abilities are taken into account.
Lesson Plan 5 Rubric: Activity 1: Evaluation Form
Must Include the Following:
ü 2 points
ü - 1 point
X 0
points
List group members roles and responsibilities.
Included
Some Included
None Included
Group members evaluation grades 5-1.
Included
Some Included
None Included
Rate your own performance grades 5-1. Describe your rationale.
Included
Included but not described
Not included
*The Evaluation Form is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E. Activity 2: Venn Diagram
Must Include the Following:
ü 2 points
ü - 1 point
X 0
points
Defines Protagonists’ Culture
Both Included or Mentioned
One Included or Mentioned
None Included or Mentioned
Defines portrayal of Protagonists’ Culture in the text
Both Included or Mentioned
One Included or Mentioned
None Included or Mentioned
Compares the two protagonists’ culture
Both compared
One compared or described
None Included or Mentioned
Has textual support or evidence with page numbers.
Both Included or Mentioned
Both Included or Mentioned
None Included or Mentioned
*The Venn Diagram is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E.
Lesson Plan 6 Rubric: Activity 1: Peer Review Quiz 10 Questions Correct- A
9 Questions Correct- A
8 Questions Correct- B
7 Questions Correct- C
6 Questions Correct- D
5 Questions Correct-E
4 Questions Correct-E
3 Questions Correct-E
2 Questions Correct-E
1 Question Correct-E Activity 2: Revision Log
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Contains a detailed critique on their classmate’s performance
Completed with a thorough description.
Partially completed with a thorough description.
Included but poorly described.
Included but irrelevant.
Not included.
Contains suggestions for improvement
Completed with a thorough description.
Partially completed with a thorough description.
Included but poorly described.
Included but irrelevant.
Not included.
Critiques and suggestions are appropriate and professional
Professional and appropriate feedback for student improvement or understanding.
Contains ambiguous suggestions and feedback that may help students to understand their performance.
Critiques and suggestions aren’t constructive in helping the student to improve.
Inappropriate comments or suggestions.
Not completed.
Lesson Plan 7 Rubric: Activity 1: Mind Map
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
What discriminated is presented in the text. Describe.
Correctly identified the discrimination and its name with explanation.
Uses another word to describe the discrimination (outside of those form class).
Wrongly Identifies the discrimination but provides explanation.
Wrongly Identifies the discrimination with no explanation.
Doesn’t complete.
Who is being discriminated against. Describe.
Correctly Identifies the character with explanation.
Misspells the correct characters name or uses a different name for them.
Wrongly Identifies the character but provides an explanation.
Wrongly Identifies the character with no explanation.
Doesn’t complete.
Why are they being discriminated against. Describe.
Correctly determines why they are being discriminated against with explanation .
Vaguely Identifies the purpose with explanation.
Wrongly Identifies the purpose but provides an explanation.
Wrongly Identifies the purpose with no explanation.
Doesn’t complete.
Clearly uses textual support
Uses 5 appropriate textual supports.
Uses no more than 3 textual supports.
Uses 2 textual supports.
Uses 1 textual support.
No support from text.
Activity 2: Exit Ticket
Answer the Following Question:
ü (2 points)
ü - (1 point)
X (0 points)
Based on what you’ve seen at your stations, How does the history of discrimination compare to the discrimination we found in our books today?
Answers the question.
Partially answers the question.
Doesn’t answer the question.
*The exit ticket is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E.
Lesson Plan 8 Rubric: Activity 1: Discrimination Chart
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
What type of discrimination is presented in the text?
Correctly identifies with name.
Correctly identifies with another name.
Shows initiative but incorrect.
Shows no initiative or support.
Doesn’t complete.
Identify the group being discriminated against and the group doing the discriminating.
Correctly identifies.
Correctly identifies with another name for the group.
Shows initiative but incorrect.
Shows no initiative or support.
Doesn’t complete.
Why do you think this discrimination is wrong?
Correctly Answers.
Answers vaguely.
Shows initiative but incorrect.
Shows no initiative or support.
Doesn’t complete.
How could this discrimination have been prevented?
Ideas are correct and thoughtfully considered.
Ideas are correct but not developed or thoughtfully considered.
Attempts to answer the question.
Irrelevant responses.
Doesn’t complete
Activity 2: Venn Diagram
Must Include the Following:
ü 2 points
ü - 1 point
X 0
points
Lists the type of discrimination from each book.
Included or Mentioned
Tried to include or mention
No types listed
Compare/Contrasts the discrimination types.
Both compared and contrasted
One compared or contrasted
None compared or contrasted
Has textual support or evidence with page numbers.
Both have textual support
One has textual support
None have textual support
*The Venn Diagram is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E.
Lesson Plan 9 Rubric: Activity 1: Cause/Effect Chart
Must Include the Following:
ü 2 points
ü - 1 point
X 0
points
Correctly identifies the cause
Correctly identified and described
Correctly identified OR described
Incorrect
Correctly identifies the effect
Correctly identified and described
Correctly identified OR described
Incorrect
Has textual support or evidence with page numbers on both cause and effect.
Both have textual support
One has textual support
None have textual support
*The Cause/Effect Chart is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E. Activity 2: One Year Plan
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Provides 10 thoughtful ideas to prevent discrimination
Provides 10 thoughtful ideas to prevent discrimination.
Provides 8-9 thoughtful ideas to prevent discrimination.
Provides 6-7 thoughtful ideas to prevent discrimination.
Provides 4-5 ideas to prevent discrimination.
Provides irrelevant ideas to prevent discrimination.
Lesson Plan 10 Rubric: Activity 1: Discrimination Bag
Must Include the Following:
ü 10 points
ü - 5 point
X 0
points
Contains 3 appropriate items to prevent discrimination
Identified 3 appropriate objects to resemble prevention of discrimination.
Identified 2 appropriate objects to resemble prevention of discrimination
Identified 1 appropriate object to resemble prevention of discrimination
*The Discrimination bag is based on points from the class work participation grades. These points are added at the end of the unit to determine students’ participation grades. These grades are also reflective of feedback in class and participation in discussion. Students can receive a total of 200-175 points for an A, 174-150 points for a B, 149-125 points for a C, 124-100 points for a D, and 99-75 points for an E. Activity 2: Discrimination Poster
Must Include the Following:
5-A
4-B
3-C
2-D
1-E
Educates people on the various types of discrimination
All types of discrimination are included and described.
All types of discrimination are included but descriptions are vague/incorrect.
3 types of discrimination are included and described.
1-2 types of discrimination are included.
No types of discrimination are included.
Why Discrimination occurs
Included and Described.
Partially included and described.
Either included or described, not both.
Irrelevant description of occurrence.
Not Included.
Why Discrimination is Wrong
Included and Described.
Partially included and described.
Either included or described, not both.
Irrelevant explanation.
Not Included.
Creatively Designed-Appropriate images and correct grammar and spelling
Creative representation of information and correct grammar and spelling.
Somewhat creative representation of information and correct grammar and spelling.
Somewhat creative with 1-5 incorrect Spelling and Grammatical mistakes.
Somewhat creative with 5-8 incorrect Spelling and Grammatical mistakes.
No Creativity included with at least 9 Incorrect Spelling and Grammar mistakes.
*All standards, goals, and objectives are carefully aligned with the Maryland standards and goals provided at www.mdk12.org
NCTE Standards:
1.) Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
9.) Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
7.) Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
Unit Goals:
1.) (Aligned with NCTE Standard 1) Given a variety of print and nonprint materials in the perspective of individuals of various cultures, students will be able to describe the importance of cultural diversity in our community, in order to promote discrimination awareness with acceptance and tolerance.
Rationale: Before students are able to promote acceptance and tolerance of cultural diversity, they must first understand the importance of diversity in our community. This goal outlines students’ ability to understand the activities, beliefs, lifestyles, etc. of different cultures around the world. Students will be given the opportunity to see individual cultures through their own perspectives in text, videos, sound clips, and class visitations. Most importantly, students will read about the forms of discrimination occurring in these cultures. When given this knowledge, students will have the understanding to describe the importance of cultural diversity in our neighborhoods, schools, and economy to promote acceptance.
2.) (Aligned with NCTE Standard 9) Students will be able to collaboratively identify and define various types of discrimination through a community involvement activity, in order to raise cultural and discrimination awareness.
Rationale: This unit goal clearly outlines students’ overall learning of social injustice and discrimination in their authentic environments at school and at home. At the conclusion of this lesson, students will have created a poster to be displayed in the school and community that promotes awareness of discrimination. This goal assists students in becoming active members of their community. The goal captures students’ understanding in identifying and defining the target group of those being discriminated against and possible reasons for its occurrence. Most importantly, students will have the knowledge to implement strategies that will help to alleviate and resolve discrimination to promote cultural tolerance and acceptance.
3.) (Aligned with NCTE Standard 7) Students will be able to independently research and formally present information about a specific culture and the discriminations that occur within it, in order to implement strategies to resolve social injustice in their school and home community.
Rationale: In a small group, students will be assigned to extensively research an individual culture to share with the class. Each group will be assigned a different culture. At the conclusion of the unit’s presentations, students have will have a better knowledge of several different cultural groups in our community. Besides researching each culture’s beliefs and customs, students will also find recent articles portraying discrimination or social injustice against that group. After presenting this information to the class as a group, students will have a better understanding of the individual culture and the discrimination that often occurs in these groups, while also developing good speaking/presenting skills.
Lesson Objectives:
Aligned with Unit Goal 1:
1.) Given The Scarlet Letter and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, students will be able to complete a Venn diagram to compare/contrast the various forms of discrimination presented in both texts.
a. Assessment: “Venn Diagram.” This formal assessment as a Venn diagram will be used for students to organize the similarities and differences of discrimination in the novels. Students will complete them as a group and each group will share their findings with the class. Group work will be collected to measure students’ ability to work in their collaborative settings.
2.) Given The Scarlet Letter and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and various supplemental texts, students will be able to compare/contrast the various forms of discrimination in all the readings.
a. Assessment: “Discrimination Chart.” A columned chart will be used as a formal assessment to measure student’s ability to differentiate the various types of discrimination they will read and discuss with the class. Students must identify how these discriminations are different across texts. Because each student group is reading different material from different cultures, students will need to pay careful attention to summarize each reading and its source of discrimination.
3.) Given historical materials in rotation stations, students will be able to describe the relationships between discrimination in the past to its presence in our unit texts, as reflected on an exit ticket.
a. Assessment: “Exit Ticket.” I will use an exit ticket as a formal assessment to measure students’ ability to make connections between historical events with current issues in our society. Students will be able to briefly explain this connection in their own words before exiting class for the day. To go along with an objective in Unit Goal 3, students will also find a current event highlighting discrimination.
Aligned with Unit Goal 2:
1.) Students will be able to reflect on the various types of discrimination and their own personal experiences with them in the community during a free writing exercise in order to raise discrimination awareness.
a. Assessment: “Free Writing Exercise.” This free writing exercise will be used for students to start developing successful writing skills before writing their final paper in the unit. The free write gives students the opportunity to develop their thoughts and feelings about the unit topic with little restrictions on their format and structure. Therefore, this assessment is obviously a formal assessment to assist students in their overall comprehension of the material.
2.) Students will be able to identify the various types of discrimination in several materials in order to create a “discrimination awareness” poster to raise awareness of discrimination in the school.
a. Assessment: “Discrimination Awareness Poster.” This assessment will be a summative assessment as students will slowly develop the necessary skills needed to understand why we need awareness and what could be done/said to promote awareness. Students will be prompted about this assignment from the beginning of the unit. As the unit progresses, students will have accumulated enough knowledge about discrimination to develop a successful poster.
3.) Students will be able to discuss the cause and effect of discrimination in order to promote discrimination awareness
a. Assessment:” Cause/Effect Chart.” Students will complete this formal assessment as a classwork grade. The cause/effect chart simply helps students to organize their thoughts in a structured format to make the cause and effect connection. This assignment will begin as a class discussion which will lead into the chart for assessing individual progress and understanding. This assignment is obviously used at the beginning of the unit in relationship to the text.
Aligned with Unit Goal 3:
1.) Students will be able to define the characteristics of culture in order to label specific cultures they’ve seen in the community.
a. Assessment: “I am poem.” To reinforce the material in today’s lesson, students reflect on their individuality and culture to create an “I am poem.” Students will highlight areas of interest, heritage, location, family, likes/dislikes, etc. The information will be compiled into a poem and collected as a formal assessment at the beginning of the next day of class. This is also an introductory activity in the beginning of the unit that is needed to understand the topic.
2.) In small groups, students will be able to research an assigned culture to determine possible causes of discrimination to develop solutions.
a. Assessment: “Progress Paper.”At the end of each research session in the computer lab, students will turn in their progress on their culture research. This progress will be collected to determine their ability to work collaboratively and stay on task. Collecting these papers is a formal assessment. However, it can also be viewed as a summative assessment because these short assessments are used to guide students to the assessment of their overall presentation of research material. It also keeps them on pace with their work to develop a stronger presentation over time.
3.) In small groups, students will be able to practice presentation skills by presenting their assigned cultural group in order to identify discriminations and their solutions.
a. Assessment: “Presentation.” I will be creating a presentation rubric to comparatively measure students’ ability to properly present their research findings to the class. We will have already reviewed key presentation skills before their presentation date. The presentations need to embody professionalism in appearance and content. This formal assessment will also measure collaborative skills.
4.) Students will be able to generalize the various forms of discrimination presented in their assigned and supplemental readings, in order to brainstorm strategies and activities to prevent discrimination for their persuasive paper.
a. Assessment: “Persuasive Paper/Letter.” As a summative assessment at the end of the unit, students will independently write a persuasive paper/letter to a community organization such as their local library, local ARC chapter, etc. to persuade them to hang their posters in their organization building. This paper will have students summarizing the importance of cultural diversity and discrimination awareness. It can serve as a community involvement activity.
Criteria of Textual features: The following features are subliminally mentioned in many objectives and standards which will be used to enhance each lesson.
- Presentation/Speaking skills-Students will learn and develop appropriate presenting and speaking skills for their group project. Guidelines will also be listed on their rubric.
-Grading Rubrics on all assignments-For all assignments, students will be given a grading rubric so they know their expectations on each assignment. Directions for assignments will also be given in several formats.
-Adaptations/Modifications-For students with disabilities, the course material will be adapted to welcome all learning needs and abilities. Activities will be accommodating by providing multiple means of expression.
-Modeling- Modeling assignments and/or providing examples for expected student work will be used for every assignment.
-Reading Comprehension-Students will develop skills to assist them in comprehending reading material on a deeper level for themes, symbols, etc.
-Generalization of material-Students will actively transfer their knowledge into the authentic setting.
-Discussion techniques-Students will practice and develop successful skills for discussion such as eye contact, taking turns, etc.
-Scholarly research skills-Students will learn how to find and cite appropriate and scholarly sources for their articles. Personal experiences are also welcomed.
-Writing skills and essay development-For their paper, students will learn and develop writing skills, such as persuasive techniques in their summative assessment.
-Collaborative Skills-Students will develop skills to work cooperatively in groups such as taking turns, staying on task, contribution, etc.
Scoring Tools:
-Every assignment will have a specific grading rubric which will give students an idea of their expectations and goals which need to be accomplished. Grades will be given based on student performance, completion of task, grammar/spelling, and professionalism. Several assignments and activities will be based on cooperative work. Therefore, students will be assigned an individual and group grade for their performance. Appropriate skills will be aspects of the hidden curriculum embedded in each lesson and will also appear on the rubric to serve as a checklist for students.
Rubrics for the First 10 Lessons
Lesson Plan 1 Rubric:
Activity 1: Free Write
Activity 2: Exit Ticket
Lesson Plan 2 Rubric:
Activity 1: I Am Poem
Activity 2: KWL Chart
points
Lesson Plan 3 Rubric:
Activity 1: Arthur Illustration
Activity 2: Progress Sheet
Lesson Plan 4 Rubric:
Activity 1: Presentation
points
Activity 2: Hester Illustration
Lesson Plan 5 Rubric:
Activity 1: Evaluation Form
points
Activity 2: Venn Diagram
points
Lesson Plan 6 Rubric:
Activity 1: Peer Review Quiz
10 Questions Correct- A
9 Questions Correct- A
8 Questions Correct- B
7 Questions Correct- C
6 Questions Correct- D
5 Questions Correct-E
4 Questions Correct-E
3 Questions Correct-E
2 Questions Correct-E
1 Question Correct-E
Activity 2: Revision Log
Lesson Plan 7 Rubric:
Activity 1: Mind Map
Activity 2: Exit Ticket
Lesson Plan 8 Rubric:
Activity 1: Discrimination Chart
Activity 2: Venn Diagram
points
Lesson Plan 9 Rubric:
Activity 1: Cause/Effect Chart
points
Activity 2: One Year Plan
Lesson Plan 10 Rubric:
Activity 1: Discrimination Bag
points
Activity 2: Discrimination Poster